Digital advertising that appears adjacent to "objectionable content" risks alienating almost half of a brand's potential customers, according to a new study published by the CMO Council, an executive network for marketers, as part of a research program with Dow Jones, the news provider.
Drawing on a survey of 2,000 people from North America and the UK, the two organizations found that when marketing messages are shown alongside material which is considered to be offensive, a range of negative reactions result:
- 37.3% of respondents would "change the way I think of the brand when making a decision to buy";
- 10.5%...